9. Apex, NC

Residents enjoy shopping and socializing in Apex’s historic downtown, which plays host to events like a jazz festival and the Peak City Pig Fest. For more outdoor fun, there’s the 400 acres of parks, baseball diamonds, and tennis courts.

The town has a range of affordable homes and is still growing, with residential building permits up 60% in the first quarter of 2013 compared with 2012.

Apex’s growing population means, though, that while the schools still outperform many in the state, they’ve become more crowded. (A new high school is slated to open in 2015.) A new toll road has shrunk the roundtrip drive to the Research Triangle by 40 minutes but costs $3.66. –Taylor Tepper

Apex, NC

Town stats

Apex, NC

Town stats

Median family income (per year)

$93,207

Job growth % (2010-2012)

12.45%

Median home price (2012)

$225,000

Reading test scores (% above/below average)

23.9%

Math test scores (% above/below average)

17.1%

Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)

1

Property crime incidents (per 1,000)

15

Financials

Median family income (per year)

$93,207

Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)

$102,651

Sales tax

6.75%

State income tax rate (highest bracket)

7.75%I

State income tax rate (lowest bracket)

6.00%I

Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)

$1,424

Job growth % (2010-2012)

12.45%

Financials

Housing

Median home price (2012)

$225,000

Average property taxes(2012)

$2,360

Housing

Education

Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles)

18

Reading test scores (% above/below state average)

23.9%

Test scores math (% above/below average)

17.1%

% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)